Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 402 -

*Olivia*

The first official day of our honeymoon started with breakfast. Gio carried me to the table bathed in sunlight as the delicious smells of the private chef's creations met my nose. Fruits and cream-stuffed crepes were an absolute delight to my taste buds, and we shared a few bites between our meals.

His ham and cheese crepes weren't too bad, but I definitely had more of a sweet tooth. We sipped on white wine as Gio hand-fed me chocolate-covered strawberries, freshly harvested apparently from a nearby farm. I didn't even know strawberries grew here, but there was a lot I was learning on this trip.

"Are you gonna tell me what else you have planned?" I asked, rubbing my full tummy happily.

"It's a surprise," Gio grinned, throwing a simple outfit at me-shorts and a breezy blouse. I normally never showed this much leg, but I shrugged as I slipped it on.

Gio grinned like a wildcat as I undressed in front of him, refusing to take his eyes off me for a moment. Of course, he was already dressed perfectly, even his hair brushed back. The crinkles around his eyes were more prominent today, but it only made him look that much sexier.

Once we were dressed, Gio led me downstairs and out the front door. We didn't have to wait long as a sleek boat glided toward us, a new gondola driver on the back. This time, a pretty woman with bright red hair smiled at us as she steadied the boat with her long stick.

My anticipation for whatever Gio had planned peaked, and Gio held my hand as I slid into the boat with a giggle. He took the seat next to me, and then we were off.

There were a lot more boats out today, not just gondolas, but specifically the working boats carrying deliveries or picking up trash or even just ferrying people who looked like they were in a bit too much of a hurry for a regular gondola. I took the time to survey the city, happy to see how bright and sunny the day was. A woman selling shiny wind catchers and chimes caught my eye. She handed a mini pinwheel to a baby in her mother's arms, and I smiled, a pang in my chest as the baby giggled brightly at the little turning wheel.

"Soon," Gio promised, kissing my temple as he wrapped a reassuring arm around me. That's right. Soon we would have a baby of our own. It just took time.

"So where are we going?" I asked playfully, to take my mind off the baby situation.

A mischievous smile danced on his lips as he stared straight ahead, not revealing anything.

"If I guess, will you tell me?" I asked, excitedly.

"Maybe," he shrugged, still as tight-lipped as always.

"Hmm. San Marco square?" I asked, curiosity burning inside of me.

"Good guess, but no," Gio chuckled.

"Doge's Palace?"

That would be good. The monument of Byzantine art was gorgeous and something I'd always wanted to see. The balcony provided a perfect view of St. Mark Square and the Bell Tower too, I remembered reading from one of the tourist books conveniently lying in our room. No doubt my sly husband had placed them there to throw me off.

"Nope," he said, smiling like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Um..." I struggled to think of what else I knew of Venice and where I thought he could take me first. "A wine tasting?"

"I don't plan to get you drunk," he laughed, then smirked, leaning over to whisper, "yet."

The narrow canals opened into a larger almost-lake-sized lagoon, and I felt a bit nervous. I gazed over the edge of the boat and gasped as I saw colorful streaks under the water. The fish were probably accustomed to the tourists feeding them or just dropping random foods in the lagoon, but seeing them so close was amazing. I could've reached out and just barely dip my hands in the water to touch them.

Eventually, it became very apparent where we were going as we pulled into another narrow canal, but this one was different from before. While the main city was filled with beautiful buildings, they all carried an ancient feeling to them. They'd been built hundreds of years ago, after all.

But this section of the city had a different feel. The buildings were painted in vibrant colors - greens and reds and oranges that stood out against anything we'd seen before. They looked less like blocky buildings and more like homes. We passed under a brick bridge, and soon I caught sight of a massive market on either side of us. Tents were propped up against the summer sun, and the stores were packed with people. The picturesque island nestled within the Venetian archipelago was unmistakable.

"Murano?" I gasped, turning to him with wide eyes.

"Happy?" He chuckled as our driver pulled over to one of the many docks, steadying the boat so we could get out.

"Buona giornata," the red-headed gondola driver said as we got out. Her accent was much heavier than Gio's, and I suspected that she didn't know much English, if at all.

"Grazie," I said honestly, beaming as we got out of the gondola. It didn't take long before she was pushing away from the dock and heading down the canals once more, probably to ferry someone else.

"Now," Gio said, side-eyeing me with a smile, "how do you feel about glass?"

"No," I gasped, slamming a hand over my mouth. Murano was famous for the renowned glassblowing masters that surrounded the island. Their techniques were legendary, and as an art major, it was one of the things I'd wished to see up close and personal.

"Yes," he chuckled.

Gio led me deep into the streets, and I was practically buzzing with excitement, skipping along next to him as I held his hand tightly. I could barely focus on all the sounds and sights around us. But the thought of seeing the glassmakers, seeing that in person, was enough to keep me from wandering off, even if the acrobatic troupe and handmade gelato shops had piqued my interest. He led me to a little shop out of the way of the main streets, one that clearly didn't get a lot of attention over the other packed stores.

The first thing I noticed when we stepped inside was the heat, and the second thing I noticed was the way the sunlight refracted through the glass. Hundreds of glass-blown vases and pipes were held on shelves. Above us was a whole chandelier made of delicate work, like a flower reaching down to us, frozen in mid-bloom. There had to be nothing more awe-inspiring. Nearby, there were smaller pieces, flowers made in glass balls, ornaments hanging from the ceilings, and even wine glasses in every single color there was.

My eyes were caught by the little figurines of animals-an elephant blowing through its trunk and a tiny mouse that could fit on two fingers.

"Look at how smooth the glass is, even when made into odd shapes," I gushed, my art nerd coming out. "Even the little ears on the mouse look like they were always meant to be there and not attached afterward. This must have taken dozens of years of practice and skill. It's amazing."

"Grazie, signora," a new voice called out, and I flinched, grasping Gio's hand automatically. I stepped away from the work as an older gentleman with a friendly look about him stepped in.

Gio grinned. "Olivia, this is Master Tommaso. He's a family friend and a very skilled artisan."

"Mattina," the man nodded his head. He was clearly in his sixties or seventies but looked no worse for wear despite the slight hunch to his back.

"It's so nice to meet you," I beamed. "Is this your shop?"

"Si," Tommaso nodded. "Old famiglia. I inherited it from my grandfather. It's been in our family for generations."

"That's amazing," I said honestly. "So these are all your work? Techniques passed down in your family?"

"Si," his lips curved up a bit, pleased as I admired his work. "You want to learn?"

"Can I?" I blurted out, my excitement too much to handle. The thought of working with a master glassblower was amazing.

"Si, come then." He waved us over, and Gio wrapped his hand loosely around my waist, the two of us following Tommaso into the back. That's when I discovered why it was so hot in there.

The workshop was filled with multiple furnaces going at the same time, massive sheets of steel, and some tools I recognized and others I didn't. Tommaso explained the process of glassblowing to us, his knowledge incredibly vast and valuable. The century-old craft was even more mesmerizing in person than in video as Tommaso demonstrated the vase-making process.

"It's the easier beginning item," he said casually. "No small parts to make."

Seeing the process unfold before our very eyes, the way he handled the glass so confidently, blowing it up and shaping it just the way he wanted. He made it look all too easy, but I could see the technique with every movement. I marveled at the finished pieces, taking the molten glass and turning it into a flower vase.

"You try," Tommaso said, staring at his work like it was nothing special. He showed us how to add the colors and a few of the original techniques of the Murano specialty before letting us work. Gio warmed up the big piece of glass in the furnace as I rolled out the little pieces of color on the table. I decided to go with cool colors, violets, and blues with a dash of faded pink in it. Gio stood by the furnace, letting me handle the stick as I rolled the glass gently into the coloring, going back and forth just as we were shown.

"Good," Tommaso said, nodding as he gestured to go back to the furnace. Gio didn't want to let me near the open fire, so he took control over that. We added more and more color, rolling the piece between furnaces before finally, we got to the shaping. Gio rolled the stick as I used the tools to make an elongated shape under Tommaso's instructions, then we'd switch, and Gio would try to shape it. And there it went, back and forth into the oven and making painstakingly small shapes before it cooled.

The inside was the hardest to make as we used a thin piece of steel to insert into the glass, but finally, we were done. Gio did the intricate work on one handle, and I did the other. They had ended up a bit lopsided, one higher than the other. Gio had a little more fun with the intricate handle as he made his handle attach twice, leaving little spaces. It looked like a slithering snake against the glass, and the vibrant turquoise he added to it added to the effect.

My handle was simpler, heavier on the base of the vase but thin on the neck. It was almost paper-thin, barely connected at all but still visible. I had chosen a deeper blue for the color, and despite how mismatched it looked, it was ours. The top of the opening was a bit wavy, crooked on one side, and the shape had somehow morphed a bit into a teardrop shape with an open flower at the top, but I was most proud of the colors. The pink and violets had swirled together in a gradient, leaving the blue at the bottom like a sea and a sunset. Flecks of blue had splashed onto the top, tiny specks barely noticeable, but it only made it look more beautiful in my opinion.

Tommaso was a bit more critical of the piece, seeing as he was a master, but ultimately, he gave us a pass. "Not bad for the first try," Tommaso nodded in approval. "A very unique piece." I beamed.

We returned home with the piece, and I didn't waste any time placing it on the table in our room and adding the flowers we had stopped to buy in it-red camellias, baby's breath, and red salvias. I didn't ask why Gio had chosen those specific ones, but they fit perfectly within our vase. I stared at the artwork we made together, the flowers we'd purchased after an unforgettable day. Gio wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his lap as he leaned down into my ear, his voice filled with a mixture of hope and longing as he posed a single question that stirred all of my emotions in full gear.

"Want to try again for a baby?"

I suppressed a beaming smile, turning around his lap as I found his lips, pressing them gently against his. "Yes," I breathed.